The Agnes Scott College music department is thrilled to announce the inaugural Kirk Concert and Masterclass Series. The Kirk Advisory James T. and Ella Rather Kirk Fund is designated for use to support academic programs in history, music, literature, art, and philosophy. A portion of the funding will support the 2012–13 Kirk Concert and Masterclass Series, which features three internationally renowned artists: Weiwei Le, violin; William DeVan, piano; and Indra Thomas, soprano. Each artist performing in the Kirk Concert Series will give a performance on Thursday evening and offer ASC music students a masterclass on the following Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Maclean Auditorium. The performance schedule is as follows:
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 7:00 p.m. Weiwei Le, violin
Thursday, October 18, 2012, 7:00 p.m. William DeVan, piano
Thursday, March 21, 2013, 7:00 p.m. Indra Thomas, soprano
Weiwei Le is a native of Shanghai and currently is an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Prior to teaching at UNLV, Ms. Le was on the faculty at Emory University and Georgia State University. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a Masters of Music from Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Graduate Diploma from New England Conservatory of Music. She has received many awards and has performed with such groups as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the St. Petersburg Quartet.
In May 2011, William DeVan retired after 30+ years of serving as a member of the music faculty at Birmingham-Southern College. Mr. DeVan is a graduate of the Julliard School and has toured the world giving concerts, recitals and master classes. In 1975, he won the “Vianna da Motta” competition in Libson, Portugal—the only American pianist that holds this title, and in November 2011 he was the featured Convention Artist at the Georgia Music Teachers Association’s national convention.
Indra Thomas, a much celebrated opera singer, graduated from Shorter College in Rome, GA. She is considered one of the greatest “Aidas” in the world today. She made her professional debut in the Verdi Requiem at Carnegie Hall with the New York Choral Society. Most recently she performed with the Rome Symphony Orchestra and was featured in the Atlanta Music Festival. For more information on Ms. Thomas, visit her website: http://indrathomas.com.
All performances will take place at Agnes Scott College in Gaines Chapel located at 141 East College Avenue, Decatur GA 30030. Parking is available in the parking deck on campus located on South McDonough Street. All concerts and parking are free and open to the public—no ticket necessary. For more information, call 404-471-6049.